v., a·greed, a·gree·ing, a·grees. v.intr.
- To grant consent; accede: We agreed to her suggestion.
- To come into or be in accord, as of opinion: I agree with you on that. Our views on the election agree.
- To come to an understanding or to terms: We agreed on the price.
- To be compatible or consistent; correspond: The copy agrees with the original. His story agrees with mine.
- To be suitable, appropriate, pleasing, or healthful: Spicy food does not agree with me.
- Grammar. To correspond in gender, number, case, or person.
To grant or concede: My parents agreed that we should go.
[Middle English agreen, from Old French agreer, from Vulgar Latin *aggrātāre : Latin ad-, ad- + Latin grātus, pleasing.]
SYNONYMS agree, conform, harmonize, accord, correspond, coincide. These verbs all indicate a compatibility between people or things. Agree may indicate mere lack of incongruity or discord, although it often suggests acceptance of ideas or actions and thus accommodation: We finally agreed on a price for the house. Conform stresses correspondence in essence or basic characteristics, sometimes as a result of established standards: Students are required to conform to the rules. Harmonize implies the combination or arrangement of elements in a pleasing whole: The print on the curtains harmonized with the striped sofa. Accord implies harmony, unity, or consistency, as in essential nature: "The creed [upon which America was founded] was widely seen as both progressive and universalistic: It accorded with the future, and it was open to all" (Everett Carll Ladd). Correspond refers to similarity in form, nature, function, character, or structure: The Diet in Japan corresponds to the American Congress. Coincide stresses exact agreement: "His interest happily coincided with his duty" (Edward A. Freeman). See also synonyms at assent.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
